Monthly archives:April 2017

  • Nise: The Heart of Madness, directed by Roberto Berliner, tells the story of Dr. Nise da Silveira (Gloria Pires), a Brazilian psychiatrist who pioneered the treatment of schizophrenic patients with kindness and art therapy, resulting in both medical and artistic breakthroughs. Though a conventional film, Nise is fascinating and poignant. Not only is da Silveira a heroine well worth rooting for, but these outsider artists and their creative processes are portrayed with great respect. (And, unlike some depictions of psychiatric patients, the actors playing Nise's charges seem believably afflicted.) The film opens in 1940s Rio de Janeiro. A small woman knocks repeatedly at a metal door unless it finally opens. This is a fitting introduction to da Silveira, who has come to work at the National Psychiatric Center, the only female doctor on the staff. In a meeting, lobotomy is discussed dispassionately as miracle cure, while a demonstration of a patient forced to undergo electroconvulsive treatment is looked upon equally casually by everyone but da Silveira, who can barely contain her horror. Refusing to take part in these conventional methods, she is relegated to supervising the Occupational Therapy Sector, previously run by a nurse and an orderly. Despite the fact that several of the hospital’s inmates have violent tendencies, Nise is compassionate and patient, unlike most of the staff, who treat them with cruelty and ridicule. Under her care, the previously filthy OC w[...]
  • Even more awesome than the Wackids playing Rage Against the Machine using children's toys, is the announcement that world-renowned sartorialist Edward Enninful will be the new editor-in-chief of British Vogue — one of the most storied woman's magazines in the world. From his work with i-D, Italian Vogue, and W Magazine this shouldn't come as a surprise, however this is actually big news! Simply because, as Lauren Cochran aptly sums it up, Enninful is "a black man at the helm of the most established fashion magazine in Britain" — working in an industry that is predominately white and that seems to largely service more privileged sections of society. In fact British Vogue has been taken to task for "its lack of diversity in model casting." As Cochran points out, Jourdan Dunn was the first black model to grace the cover of British Vogue as its solo star in 12 YEARS! (Naomi Campbell was the last model to appear on her own cover in 2002 ). Naomi Campbell and Edward Enninful at 2016 Fashion Awards  Photo Courtesy: REX And Enninful has been highly vocal, dressing down the fashion world for its blatant lack of diversity. In a talk last year, Enninful says to an audience: “If you put one model in a show or in an ad campaign, that doesn’t solve the problem.” He continues: “We need teachers in universities, we need internships, we need people of different ethnic backgrounds in all parts of the industry. That really is the solution; you have to change it from the inside.” [...]
  • The title of Barnaby (aka Barney) Clay’s new documentary, SHOT! The Psycho-spiritual Mantra of Rock, says it all, really. This rambling, entertaining portrait of legendary music photographer Mick Rock is full of its genial subject’s own musings on his life and art. It also encapsulates the excitement and excesses of the heady musical era that Rock (barely) lived through and documented. For anyone with a passing interest in the rock scenes of the late 1960s through '70s, this will be pretty fascinating stuff. For those, like myself, who remember wondering about the photographer whose impossibly appropriate name appeared on pictures of many groundbreaking artists, this will provide context, and then some. (For the record, the man’s given name is actually Michael David Rock.) The film opens with present-day Rock (now in his late 60s) loading his camera at a live TV on the Radio show. He talks about his process, which—at its best—makes him feel like an assassin, “I’ve got my sights on you, gonna take you out.” Later he clarifies, “I’m not after your soul, I’m after your f-ing aura,” which might prompt an eye-roll, except that he really did capture the essence of performers (and friends) such as David Bowie, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Freddie Mercury and Debbie Harry, among others. For many awestruck kids, Rock's images were their introduction to these genre-defying musicians. The film takes us through a more or less chronological account of Rock’s career, interspersed with[...]
  • Here's a kind-of-a-shocker: Ultra-hip social marketplace Tictail's brick-and-mortar flagship is that it's not profitable. Tictail Market is the brand's one and only storefront, located in Manhattan’s Lower East Side — and surprisingly, the IRL store makes less in revenue than even many of the e-commerce site's online independent sellers. "The [brick-and-mortar] store makes about $50K a month; rent is $17K. Salaries and expenses bring us close to $8K, and that about covers it," co-founder Carl Walderkrantz admits to Forbes readers. So why is it important for an e-commerce site that pulls in millions of shoppers a week to offer an in-person experience that doesn't generate significant profits? Is it just to be able to flaunt kickass storefront gifs? (Courtesy of Tictail NYC) Walderkrantz says that while the "future is moving toward online, the joy of shopping is still synonymous with an in-person experience" for many customers. And in the tradition of other successful sites like Warby Parker, Bonobos and Away and less-that-lucative storefront was the best way to guarantee local awareness. Photo courtesy TicTail "Tictail Market literally put us on the map in this city," says Walderkrantz, adding that it gives the brand "street cred." Originally, the DIY e-commerce site was developed as a means of giving entrepreneurs the ability to build online shops. Photo courtesy of Tictail It is now touted as the 'easiest platform for discovering emerging bran[...]